


The Broken Ones

by sendricamp



Category: Pitch Perfect (2012)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-22
Updated: 2012-12-22
Packaged: 2017-11-22 00:58:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/604065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sendricamp/pseuds/sendricamp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chloe can't help it.. she loves the broken ones.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Broken Ones

Chloe stuck her hand out from under the comforter, groping for her cell phone in the hopes of shutting it up. She slid her thumb across the screen, pressing it to her ear, mumbling a sleepy greeting.

  
"Chloe, I need you."

  
The redhead sat up in bed, suddenly wide awake at the tears in her best friends voice. "Bree, what happened?"

  
"I just.. I don't think I can trust myself to be alone, Chlo. I need you here, now, please."

  
"I'll be there in thirty minutes, I promise. Stay on the phone with me," she said, throwing it on speaker before finding her shoes and bag, almost running from her apartment to her car. "I just want you to keep talking to me, okay?" she asked, easily making her way to the highway at four in the morning.

  
"I don't want to be alone anymore. I don't feel safe. I just.. I can't do this, Chloe. I can't be alone."

  
"Bree, you gotta stop talking in circles and tell me what is going on."

  
She heard the sound of a bottle being set on glass before Aubrey started crying again. "I'm scared of myself.. of my mind. It is a really dark and scary place right now.. and maybe it has been for a while, but I just don't know what to do anymore."

  
"I am almost there, I promise. Ten more minutes."

  
"Okay."

  
Chloe remained silent, listening to the sniffles coming through the phone as she parked in front of the house and ran up to the front door, digging her key from her bag and letting herself in. Aubrey was sitting on the couch in the living room, a half empty bottle of bourbon in front of her. "Bree," she whispered, kneeling on the floor in front of her. "I am going to put this away, but I will be right back." She kissed Aubrey's forehead before closing the bottle and walking into the kitchen.

  
Sure, she had seen Aubrey bad before, like when her father refused to show up to their graduation from Barden, but that was wine. The last time she saw the blonde drink hard liquor was after the blonde had destroyed their performance at Finals with her unfortunate stress reflex. Chloe moved back to the couch, sitting next to her best friend and taking her hands in her own.

  
"Please tell me what is going on," she mumbled, trying to get Aubrey to look at her.

  
"I got an e-mail from my father. He finally gave me a reason for him skipping graduation," she said, her voice sounding hollow. "He said that since I spent so much time with some stupid singing group, I let my grades slip. It was my own fault that I missed out on valedictorian. He didn't got o his only childs graduation because of that. Because I wasn't the top of my class.. because I wasn't perfect." The blonde finally looked at Chloe, something in her eyes seeming distant. "Sometimes, I really think it would be easier if I died."

  
"Never say that," Chloe said, trying to stop herself from crying. "Please."

  
Aubrey shook her head, a small smile forming on her lips. "I feel better now that you are here," she mumbled. "How about we just watch a movie?"

  
Chloe stammered a moment, confused by the sudden change in mood, but found herself nodding and curling up in the corner of the couch. She knew she had dozed off, the sun pouring in through the windows when her eyes opened. "Bree?" she called out, noticing the woman wasn't on the couch next to her. She stood up, stretching against the pain from sleeping on the couch as she walked towards the bedroom. "Aubrey?"

  
She pushed on the door, her body going numb at the sight in front of her. Her best friend -- the one person who knew her better than anyone -- was hanging in the middle of the room. Hanging.

  
"No.. no.. no.. no.. no.. no.. Bree.. no.." her voice was raw with tears as she pulled the chair over, the chair that had been kicked over while she slept through the noise, and climbed, fighting with the rope, supporting the cold form as she made her way back to the floor. "Aubrey.. please.." Checking for a pulse. Finding nothing. Calling an ambulance. Pressing her face to the ragged t-shirt from some concert they went to their first year of college. Blacking out.

  
\----------

  
Beca had done amazing. The flowers were Aubrey's favorite -- pink tulips -- and the Bellas had been nothing but supportive, from what Chloe could pick out of her memory. It had been a week since she opened the bedroom door. Since Aubrey gave up. There had been a note, she had been told, but Beca wouldn't let her hear what it said. She didn't think it would be good for her to hear yet. Chloe silently thanked Cynthia Rose and Stacie for thinking otherwise, pulling her aside just that morning and holding the copy of the paper out to her.

  
_Chlo.._   
_I know you are going to be the one. You have been my best friend for so long. That is why this hurts so much. We both know I am not okay, right? We both know this is just going to make it easier for everyone. A lot of things are going unanswered, but it has to be that way and I know you are smart enough to understand that, even if it is hard at first. You were so good to me, and the fact that I have been able to contemplate leaving you here alone just makes my choice make that much more sense. I love you, Chloe. Please don't be like me. Never give up._

  
The words were still fresh in her mind, the handwriting so simple yet elegant, and she knew it was going to be the hardest day of her life. Beca led her to the front of the room when it was her turn to say something, standing right beside her, hands locked tightly. "Aubrey was.. she was.." she started, shaking her head, looking to her left, seeing the casket.. the body.. and then she looked at Beca, shaking her head faster. "I can't do this.. I.. I'm sorry."

  
Beca led her to their seats, looking to their friends for support when Chloe kept moving, breaking into a run and bursting out into the sunlight, falling to her knees on the steps of the church. It was Stacie who got to her first, holding her tightly, rocking back and forth, not telling her to calm down.. just holding her. She could see the people filing out around them, heading to their cars, ready to go to the cemetary. Chloe found Beca's hand again, slowly standing up, her free hand clinging to Stacie as they made their way to the car right behind the hearse.

  
Silence had never seemed so loud. Voices were muffled, the sun shining as the wooden box lowered, taking away Aubrey forever. Words broke through when she heard the familiar voice of Aubrey's father, telling someone how hard this has been for him and his wife, their only child gone. She let go of Beca, something in her clicking as she crossed the grass, grabbing his arm and spinning him around. "You don't get to say that," she growled. "This was your fault. You were so ashamed of her for not being perfect.. you didn't even come to her graduation because you didn't think she was good enough. She died believing that you hated her!" she yelled, lunging for him, crying out when she felt arms around her waist, holding her back.

  
The man leaned in close, matching her eyes. "You were in the other room, and you didn't do anything to save her."

  
"You think I don't know that?!" she screamed, her voice hoarse, ignoring the looks the other guests were throwing at them. "I loved her! I loved her more than anything, she was my world and I have to spend the rest of my life with the knowledge that I could have saved her and I never did! I could have saved her!" she cried, giving up her fight and falling to the ground.

  
\----------

  
Her eyes shot open, almost falling off the couch and the tightening in her chest. The bedroom door had closed. She was in the living room. On the couch. Not letting her mind dwell, she jumped up and threw the bedroom door open so fast it slammed against the wall, causing the blonde to drop the pen in her hand. "Aubrey, don't! Don't do it! Please!" she yelled, wrapping her arms around the blonde, both of them falling to the floor.

  
"You are supposed to be asleep."

  
Chloe shook her head. "No, I am sitting right where I am supposed to be," she said, pulling back to look at Aubrey.

  
"Chlo.. I have nothing," she cried, trying to flinch away as Chloe put her hands on her cheeks, forcing her to look at her.

  
"You have me," she stated, her voce quiet. "You will always have me, and I want that to be enough. You don't need anyone else in this life, Bree, because you have me. I will never leave you, I will never give up on you and I will never expect perfection from you. I just want you, and I want to see you happy and I want to be the reason you are happy. Losing you would destroy me, and I don't want that. Please. Just open your eyes and see that you have me!" She leaned forward, pressing her lips to Aubrey's, foreceful but still gentle.

  
"I'm broken," she whispered, pulling back enough to let the words slip out.

  
"That's why I love you," Chloe replied, closing her eyes. "I promise that is why I will always love you."


End file.
